Predicting the first loss for every college football top 25 team

No. 19 Kansas State Wildcats: Oct. 21 vs. Oklahoma 

The wizardry of Bill Snyder never ends, as Kansas State played unexpectedly well down the stretch and has the potential to challenge for a Big 12 title in 2017.

Following a 3-3 start to the season, the Wildcats won six of their final seven games to finish at 9-4, matching their best record since 2012. Kansas State’s young offense really clicked down the stretch, leading to a bowl victory over Texas A&M and setting up a top 20 ranking heading into 2017.

The offense has the potential to be one of the most efficient in the nation behind quarterback Jessie Ertz, running backs Alex Barnes and Justin Silmon, and fullback Winston Dimel, who make up the most physical backfield in college football. Receiver Bryan Pringle also emerged late as a much-needed big play threat, so all questions are going to be on the defensive side with stars Jordan Willis and Elijah Lee off to the NFL.

Kansas State will likely be favored in its first six games, although there are some challenges following two easy contests to begin the season. Vanderbilt and Baylor have strong defenses, Texas could be showing signs of life by the Oct. 7 matchup in Austin, and TCU has the talent to surprise some people, but Ertz and the smash-mouth offense is good enough to guide the Wildcats to a 6-0 start.

That would set up a huge matchup between the 77-year-old Snyder and 33-year-old Lincoln Riley in his first year with Oklahoma. While the Wildcats are certainly capable of winning that game at home against a Sooners team that has question marks at the skill positions, Baker Mayfield will be too much for a defense that has few playmakers in the front seven.

Losing to Oklahoma wouldn’t necessarily knock Kansas State out of the Big 12 race, and a stretch against West Virginia and at Oklahoma State in mid-November will be huge for the Wildcats’ hopes of making a major bowl.